The New York Knicks

 

THE NEW YORK KNICKS

The New York Knicks have won the NBA Finals, baby! 

First time since 1973! How crazy is that? 

As the Knicks community rejoices in celebration, I want to share my own personal history with the team, in light of everything that I've been feeling recently with their incredible run during this year's playoffs. 

Here it goes...

(circa 1990-91) 

I've been playing basketball since I was a kid, thanks to the influence of my brother Alex, who is to this day a massive basketball fan. Through him, I slowly started to watch NBA games on some of his BETA and VHS tapes from the 80s.

Being Portuguese, I never had much allegiance to just one team since I'm not from any of those cities, but two caught my eye early on:

LA Lakers
I was probably introduced to the LA Lakers during their rivalry with the Celtics. And Showtime being Showtime, it was clear I had already picked my favourite out of the two. That meant I was rooting for Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and the like - until later, when I was in my mid-teens, Kobe and Shaq arrived and took over, becoming two of my biggest influences.

Chicago Bulls
Any human alive during the late 80s and early 90s ended up gravitating towards Michael Jordan for years to come. The man attracted people to the NBA who didn't even like basketball - and as such, it was difficult for me (or anyone for that matter) to ignore. Jordan has become, to this day, the athlete who better defined what greatness looks like at a sporting level, and made that Bulls team one of the most exciting squads to ever grace the floor. It left such a profound mark on me that even years after MJ's era was done, I found myself still rooting for them regardless of any sporting achievement. I became enamoured with the culture and the city.

Now, having described these two teams, there was a third one I eventually fell in love with. Not because I loved their players or style of play, but purely by association with the city - and that was the New York Knicks.

In the late 80s and early 90s, when hopping on a plane was not as easy as today, my Dad would spoil himself with a trip to New York City to hit the jazz clubs - and each time he came back, he would bring us things that were months away from being available in Portugal, if they'd arrive at all. From toys to video games, VHS tapes of movies that hadn't reached our cinemas yet - everything just felt like it was coming from a different reality.

I remember this one particular time when Dad brought me a Spider-Man toy with suction cups that you could stick to a window. I was ecstatic. That was until I saw what he had in store for my brother Alex. He brought this black Nike Air Jordan beanie - and alongside it, this majestic royal blue and orange Knicks sweater with the logo sewn on the front, "Knicks" on the back, the NBA logo on the sleeve and the brand Lee Sports next to the wrist area. I was crazy jealous, and I was just becoming aware of who the Knicks were. Apparently I seem to have had already some Knicks gear (as shown in the picture above) but I don't remember it. What I do remember campaigning to borrow that iconic sweater - and maybe keep it if Alex ever moved on from it. And wouldn't you know it? Years down the line, somewhere in my early 20s (if memory serves me right), my brother decided to give it to me. If you can't guess how I felt, let me just say this: I'm a 40-year-old still holding on to that sweater like my life depended on it.

So yeah, that was the beginning of my love affair with the Knicks, which led me to watch old highlights on RTP2 (one of our state TV channels) - Ewing and Starks, and later, when I'd fully converted myself into a Knicks fan - that late 90s team with Spree and Allan Houston.

(Knicks legend, Latrell Sprewell, and myself - January 2019)

 

During all those years, the team never won anything. And aside from the late 90s, they weren't even close. But the love for that team - which began over merchandising and New York stories my Dad brought back home - grew more and more as I learned about the franchise history, the legacy of players who left their mark, the iconic status of their beloved home at Madison Square Garden (which I was privileged enough to visit), the city's culturally vibrant scene, and the emotional attachment tied to my connection with Dad and Alex.

 

(Madison Square Garden, April 2025)

As of right now, I feel like I have three teams I have a soft spot for. What I wasn't ready for is how the Knicks have revealed themselves to be the one I'm most passionate about.

I'm not trying to compare myself to the Knicks die-hards out there - that's a breed of their own, unrivalled and unmatched in passion and commitment. But what I'm saying is I never expected to get this emotional about a team. I've seen both the Lakers and Bulls win several times, and I joyfully celebrated those titles. With the Knicks, it's been heartbreak after heartbreak - even when certain teams looked promising - and I'm now feeling a whole range of emotions I never saw coming. And this was all hitting me as the series was ongoing and the possibility of winning a chip was becoming more and more likely. 

Watching the compilations online - soundbites from the players and New Yorkers around the city, celebration moments, street scenes, all of it - I've had goosebumps and tears more times than I can count. It's such a foreign feeling, to feel all of this for a team that doesn't represent your home city or your country's culture. Yet here I am, invested in a way I never imagined.

But had I been paying attention to the signs, it would have clicked sooner. I'm passionate about basketball, and by association I was always going to love the city that is the Mecca of the game. And beyond the sport - New York is, without a doubt, the city in the world that resonates with me most. It's probably no coincidence that London is my home; it's the closest thing on this side of the pond to what New York offers.

Then I think about how I've unconsciously gravitated towards the Knicks my whole life. One of the giveaways was the merch. The jerseys, multiple hoodies, hats, sweaters, T-shirts - all of which have featured in my day-to-day more than half my regular wardrobe, planting the seed in so many friends and colleagues that I must be a Knicks fan. That was never the goal. I wear it because I like the look, but even more so because I love what it stands for. A richness in culture, diversity, an open-mindedness, a hustle and a grittiness - all of it tied into a New York state of mind.

This doesn't mean I'm exclusively a Knicks guy.

I still love the Lakers and Bulls - they're responsible for my core basketball memories. But above all, I love the game, and I hope every team brings out their best so we get great basketball every time out.

What I'm coming away with, though, is this:

There are many incredible franchises in this league, with some of the finest players to ever grace a basketball court. But there is no team like the New York Knicks.

Bad, good, or excellent - they are as special as it gets. And I will be rooting for them, and for their city, till the day I die.

Best of 2025 - From My Perspective

Here we go again... My 10 favorite films, albums and tracks of the year.  

I feel I was able to listen to a lot more music than the last few years... mostly because I'm commuting regularly to the office, which gave me a good chance to discover new stuff. I still struggle to find obvious stuff that I should listen to, particularly among certain genres, but I'm pretty happy with my selection of music. 

Same doesn't apply with movies though... There's been a lot of promising titles, but very few resonated with me.  

Eddington, The Naked Gun, Life of Chuck, House of Dynamite, After The Hunt and The Smashing Machine ranged from mediocre to OK, whereas even some films that made my list, like Bugonia, Sorry Baby and Friendship, despite being good... aren't quite the level you would want for a top 10 list. 

There's still hope for a lot of the films that have been slowly coming out... Hamnet, Secret Agent, No Other Choice and Blue Moon are just a few of them... 

There's sort of a structure with the order, but whereas with the movies feels very final, the others could change at any day. 


MOVIES

One Battle After Another
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
A Sentimental Value
Weapons
Sinners
Bugonia
Train Dreams
Friendship
Sorry, Baby


ALBUMS

Blondshell - If You Asked for a Picture
Wolf Alice - The Clearing
Rosalia - Lux
Olivia Dean - The Art of Loving
Michael Kiwanuka - Small Changes
Galine - Alpha
Divorce - Drive to Goldenhammer
Geese - Getting Killed
Sabrina Carpenter - Man's Best Friend
Big Thief - Double Infinity

TRACKS

Wolf Alice - Thorns
Hangman - Divorce
Teddybears feat. Iggy Pop - Punkocker
Galine - The Alphabet
Geese - Taxes
Michael Kiwanuka - Rebel Soul
Blondshell - Model Rockets
Mon Rovia - Dust 
Gloomjoy, CASTLEBEAT - Errors
Jasmim - Aqui Nao Falta Nada

Feel free to check which of the other great tracks didn't make the cut: 

A Dream Come True: My first time at Madison Square Garden

We arrived in New York City on Monday, April 21. Our plan was to see the city and focus on the things that we have not done before in previous trips.

Just so happens that during our stay the New York Knicks were playing their Game 2 of the first playoff round in the Eastern Conference, against the Detroit Pistons and after some consideration (while in a heavy state of jet lag) I decided to shell out money to pay the heavy price tag and got myself a ticket.

As a big basketball fan, I can’t quite put into words how excited I was — but let me try...

It was my first time at this iconic venue, a versatile sanctuary that’s hosted some of the most legendary events of all time — from Muhammad Ali’s epic battle with Joe Frazier in 1971, to Elvis Presley’s sold-out shows in ’72, and the very first WrestleMania in ’85.

 

But more than anything, Madison Square Garden is known around the world as the “Mecca of Basketball” — home of the New York Knicks.

It’s a team I started following unexpectedly from a young age.

 

You see, growing up in Portugal — where football (my fellow countrymen and women would never forgive me if I called it “soccer”) was king — it wasn’t exactly easy to get into another sport.

 

Basketball wasn’t even the second or third option.  But I got lucky, as one of my older brothers started getting into the NBA just as the league was beginning to expand its presence in Europe.

 

Through him, I inherited a bunch of BETA and VHS tapes (you young kids probably need to Google that) where I would spend countless hours watching old reruns of Magic Johnson’s Lakers, Larry Bird’s Celtics, and later on, Michael Jordan’s Bulls. In fact, it was through MJ that the basketball league’s rise in popularity was propelled, and during this time, I started watching actual games as they happened. 

 

But it was only in the late ‘90s / early 2000s that I really began following the league in real-time, and around then, the team that grabbed my attention? 

 

The New York Knicks – with legends like centre Patrick Ewing, sharpshooter Alan Houston, and explosive scorer Latrell Sprewell (who I was lucky enough to meet at one of NBA’s Global Games in Europe).

 

I’ll never forget watching the 1999-2000 Eastern Conference finals where the Knicks played against Reggie Miller’s Indiana Pacers. I felt so invested in that series and heartbroken when the Pacers won that series to make it through to the NBA finals (where they would lose against Shaq and Kobe’s Lakers).

 

From that moment on, I felt closer to the Knicks than most teams in the NBA and dreamt of one day watching them play at their home arena. 

 

Even though the Bulls and Lakers were technically my first loves, I always came across as more of a Knicks fan, probably because of all the Knicks gear I had. 

One piece that I remember fondly is a Knicks-blue sweater that my Dad brought over from one of his trips to the States, which he gave to my brother. I remember being so jealous of him back then, but years later, when he decided to gift it to me, I was overjoyed.

Fast forward to 2025, and with just a few months to go before turning 40, I still have that same sweater. And more importantly, I still feel just as boyishly overjoyed (if not more) to have finally stepped foot inside MSG to watch some playoff basketball.

 

As for the game, the Pistons came in with high energy and controlling the game from the first possession, as they needed the win after losing the first matchup. The game looked under control for most of the time until the Knicks picked up in the fourth quarter, with Jalen Brunson leading the charge - finishing with 37 points and 7 assists. But unfortunately, his efforts felt short after tying the game at 94-94 in the last two minutes, but Dennis Schröder nailed a three-pointer and a free throw, giving the W to the visiting team, who were led to their first playoff win in 17 years by star point guard Cade Cunningham with 33 points and 12 rebounds.

A disappointing evening for the home fans, who, as always, included a star-studded lineup of people in attendance.

From acting stars like Timothée Chalamet, Michael J Fox, Ben Stiller and Paul Rudd, to Tennis legend John McEnroe, hip-hop singers 50 Cent and Fat Joe, and, of course, former Knicks legends Pat Ewing, Carmelo Anthony and John Starks.

As much as the Pistons came in as the underdogs for many, let’s not forget that the Pistons have looked good this season after an incredible bounce-back season. Led by Cunningham, they went from a league-worst 14–68 record last year to a 44–38 finish, clinching their first playoff spot since 2019 as the 6th seed in the East.

 

The Knicks, on the other hand, despite being disappointed with the outcome, have shown streaks of quality basketball this season, locking in the 3rd seed with a 51–31 record, led by the dynamic duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

 

For those of you who follow the NBA, when it comes to the playoffs, teams tend to crank up the volume. 

Every arena in the country turns up the volume. Fans go all in, and the energy becomes electric.

Around every arena in the country, you can expect fans to be pumped up and the atmosphere to be electrifying… One of the wonderful things I find in sports is that, as much as people are separated by team rivalry, they are also united by the love of their game. That’s a sight to behold, especially in a country that is so divided on the political spectrum. Whether you are a die-hard fan, a media pundit or a neutral observer, the love for the game of basketball brings everyone together in one place.

 

And Knicks fans? They are as good as they come. Loud, passionate and loyal. I got a real taste of that on Monday.

 

No matter what expectations they carry into the season, when it’s tip-off time, their hearts are set only on success. Anything short of that is unforgivable. 

 

Seems quite harsh, especially when you consider that the team hasn’t made it to the finals in 26 years (last time was in 1999 against the Spurs), let alone win a championship ring (1973).

 

The days of Walt Frazier and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe are long gone — though shoutout to Spike Lee’s He Got Game for keeping the legend alive through Ray Allen’s character, Jesus Shuttlesworth.

 

Still, ask any New Yorker, and they’ll tell you: The Knicks are always contenders. Because in the playoffs, anything can happen! 

Which is why it felt so special for me, as an outsider, to experience an expression of passion that went beyond the game of basketball. It’s about standing tall for your team and city and hoping that, maybe, just maybe, the ultimate glory can return to MSG, the mecca of basketball. 

 

I don’t know, though — maybe it’s the outsider in me, but I’m not entirely convinced this will be their year, especially with the level of competition out there on the West. But I wouldn’t dare say that out loud to a Knicks fan. Especially not if Spike Lee is around the corner from me! 

 

RIP Gene Hackman (1930 - 2025)

 

 

Wrote this on my Facebook page at the time of his passing but for some reason failed to post on my blog as a way to keep a record of it. Unfortunately, not a fond memory but certainly a moment that will be marked in my lifetime as the disappearance of one of the most talented actors of all-time. 

Feb 27, 2025

Terrible news about the passing of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa.

 

Even just a couple of days ago, my wife and I were discussing Hackman’s health and how good of an actor he is.

As the sad news unfolds, it is hard for me not to think about the influence Hackman has had in the arts scene, as not only one of the best actors of his generation but indeed in history.

The man has always shown tremendous versatility, transforming into all sorts of people in his multitude of roles.

He’s done pretty much every genre from drama, comedy, action, thrillers... and played everything from the hero, the villain and all things in between, including some outstanding supporting roles and cameos.

There’s just too many great films to mention, but here’s some of the defining roles that I’ve loved watching:

French Connection, The Conversation, Unforgiven, The Royal Tenenbaums, Mississippi Burning, Birdcage, The Firm, The Quick and The Dead, Get Shorty, Runaway Jury and, of course, Superman: The Movie… a film that I have saved for last since it was here that I first got introduced to Hackman as Lex Luther, Kal El’s greatest antagonist and one of the most iconic villains of all-time.

 

 

Superman, as many of my friends will know, is my favourite fictional character and one that has inspired me as a child turning into a teenager and later on an adult. It continues to be as big of a reference as I have and Hackman, through his role - along with the likes of a Jack Nicholson - has showed me how to distance myself from charismatic villains who, despite talking a good talk, only wish to see the world burn either by due to their own personal greed, sheer madness or a combination of both.

Lex was only the beginning for me and having seen so many of his astonishing roles, I have yet to watch other classics such as Reds, A Bridge Too Far , Hoosiers, No Way Out, Night Moves, Enemy of The State and many others.

Hopefully I’ll be able to dive into many of these in years to come... so I can remember the outstanding body of work that the brilliant Gene Hackman has gifted us all.

 

 

RIP Val Kilmer (1959 - 2025)

 

Sad news to wake up to as I found out actor Val Kilmer passed away at the age of 65.

Having struggled with health issues for the better part of a decade, Kilmer was one of those singular talents that left a mark whatever movie he did.

Often labelled a difficult actor, Kilmer certainly had his demons, as illustrated in the wonderful documentary Val released in 2021 on Amazon Prime. There you get a snapshot of what Kilmer was like on set, through his own recording plus testimonies of some of his family and collaborators. And yes, difficult is certainly one side of him... but so is creative, daring and sensitive. Maybe people haven't really figured out just how much of a generational talent he was, but look at some of his body of work and you will quickly see the man was involved in some of the most iconic films in movie-making history, along with the best talent both in front and behind the camera.

Top Gun (1986) must have been my first introduction to Kilmer. There he played the cocky"by the book" ace known as Iceman, a role set against a rising Tom Cruise, that he would reprise 36 years later in the popular sequel, which served as an emotional farewell to the character, at a time when Kilmer was in pretty bad shape due to having a throat cancer diagnosed back in 2015. 

The Doors (1991) biopic directed by Oliver Stone was also one of my earliest memories of Kilmer, who played the lead singer Jim Morrison. At the time, I couldn't really judge much of how close his performance was to the real thing as I think the movie was probably responsible for me being introduced to the band, but years later I could see Kilmer was practically a carbon copy of Morrison, capturing his dangerous and rebellious personality "to a T". But in those early years, when I got exposed to this particular film, I remember feeling like a naughty kid who had access to a film that wasn't appropriate for my age. I don't know the specific age, but I recall looking at that tiny red circle at the top right hand-corner, which back in the day meant those films were for 18-year-old or above audiences. No surprise as the movie was all about "sex, drugs and rock & roll".

Top Secret (1984) and Willow (1988) two of his early iconic films were projects I never got to see, but Tombstone (1993) was definitely one of his other milestones where he played probably everyone's favourite character "Doc Holliday". Few years later he delivered a version of Elvis Presley in Tony Scott's classic (written by none other than Quentin Tarantino) True Romance (1993), which I only saw many years after its release.

Now follows my most watched Kilmer movie of all-time... Batman Forever (1995).

Directed by Joel Schumacher, who took over Tim Burton's unique vision of the Dark Knight due to the studio's desire to make Batman more "family friendly", and in the process sell a bunch of merchandise, this got Kilmer's face around the globe.

 

Michael Keaton, who had played the lead role until then, was replaced as he didn't intend to make another Batman movie without Burton.

The film was greeted with poor reviews and audiences alike were highly critical of it... but for a kid like me, it felt magnificent!

The excitement around it was further enhanced by the fact that I had access to it way before the film made it to Portugal as my Dad brought a VHS tape from the United States.

I watched that tape so many times that I ended up knowing every single line by heart.

I kid you not.

Every. Single. Line.

Even though Keaton will forever be my Batman, Kilmer has a very special place in my heart and I still credit him for doing a great Bruce Wayne/Batman. Perhaps had he done it with someone closer to Burton's vision, he would have been a recipient of kinder words for his portrayal of the DC Comics iconic character.

In the same year, Kilmer also came up with a supporting role in Michael Mann's Heat (1995), a heist film that not only reunited Al Pacino and Robert De Niro for the first time since they were on set for Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather 2, but also marked the first time both actors shared a scene on screen, delivering the epic "diner" scene, a cinema favourite.

Other films followed, including The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) which was surrounded by plenty of issues and controversy at the time, from casting problems (Bruce Willis was intended to take the lead role but had to step out due to his divorce with Demi Moore), to weather issues that made it difficult to film, and Kilmer's own difficult personality often collading with his peers on set. Important to say that Kilmer had seen an opportunity in this film to work alongside legendary actor Marlon Brando (branded by many as the best of all time). There's a whole documentary about this released in 2014 by the name of Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau.

Other movies included The Saint (1997), based on the iconic TV show starring Roger Moore, The Prince of Egypt (1998), which my wife has been trying to get me to see for a long time (she even brought it up last night), and captured the hearts of many families around the world with its beautiful animation and great storytelling... Pollock (2000), the critically panned Alexander (2004) (an Oliver Stone/Kilmer reunion), Tony Scott's "Deja Vu" (2006) and three of my favourite Kilmer motion-pictures The Salton Sea (2002), Wonderland (2003) and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), the latter being one of my all-time favourite comedies, as a product of a great collaboration between writer/director Shane Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Kilmer.

Many other films have been released in years to follow, some of which very popular amongst the actor's fans (like Gia Coppola 2013's Palo Alto or Terrence Mallick 2017's Song to Song), but not many able to stir up the same excitement as his earliest work. For me, Felon (2008), and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) stack up as the two that I really enjoyed watching before Top Gun's sequel... 

Ohhhh... and I have to mention his villainous character opposite Will Forte on the SNL inspired 2010 movie "MacGruber" (a satire of iconic TV show/character MacGyver), which I never saw but always makes me laugh every time I catch a scene on YouTube.

It's only fitting that a man of Kilmer's talent and on-screen presence had his illustrious, yet at points complicated career, came to an end with two two of his most personal and emotional projects, both of which have already been mentioned in this post: the documentary Val and Top Gun: Maverick - his final film performance.

With a compelling body of work, I urge cinema lovers out there to dive deep into his work - including some of the absolute unknown gems mentioned here.

 

 

Best of 2024 - From My Perspective

You know the drill... 10 best films, albums and tracks of the year. 

I've continued to struggle with listening as much music as I did in the past, which makes me feel like I'm putting up a strong list given what is out there. Don't get me wrong, still excellent music, but I have a massive backlog of stuff to listen to.

In regards to movies, not the strongest year, but some standout ones on that list - including Sing Sing (which was my favorite film of the year and one of the top movies I've seen in the last decade) and The Wild Robot. Looking forward to seeing at the start of the year films like The Brutalist, Nickel Boys, Nosferatu and A Real Pain.

There's sort of a structure with the order, but whereas with the movies feels very final, the others could change at any day. 

MOVIES

Sing Sing
The Wild Robot
Conclave
Anora
Wicked
The Substance
Dune 2
Deadpool and Wolverine
Juror #2

SPECIAL MENTIONS

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve story
Challengers

ALBUMS

Bleachers - Bleachers
Jordan Rakei - The Loop
Adrienne Lenker - Bright Future
Alfie Templeman - Radiosoul
Kendrick Lamar - GNX
The Drums - Jonny
Local Natives - Time Will Wait For No One But I'll Wait For You
Taylor Swift - Tortured Poets
Phantom Youth - Phantom Youth
Mk.gee – Two Star & the Dream Police


TRACKS

Jacob Slater / Wunderhorse - One for the pigeons
Local Natives - NYE
Bleechers - Ordinary Heaven
Jordan Rakei - Hopes and Dreams
Trent Raznor & Atticus Ross - Pure Love
Bombay Bicycle Club feat. Matilda Mann - Fantasneeze
Day Wave & Hazel English - Jesse
Delacey and Valley Boy - Let's Get Married
Sunglasses Kid - Major Heist
Alfie Templeman - Hello Lonely

Feel free to check which of the other great tracks didn't make the cut:

Best of 2023 - From my perspective

Here we go again!

Top 10 movies, albums and tracks of the year, baby!

As last year, I've been heavily impacted by lack of commute and too much time with my wife and friends, meaning less time on my own to focus on listening to music. Having said that, there was still some great discoveries this year. 

 Watched a decent amount of films though and have been making a bigger effort to see them in the big screen, so there's that.

Some of the films I haven't been able to see yet, include Ferrari, Wonka, Favourite Things, The Iron Claw and May December, but rest assured, this coming list is a cracking one!


MOVIES 

Past Lives
Are You There God? It's me, Margaret
The Holdovers
Oppenheimer
Killers of the Flower Moon
Anatomy of a Fall
John Wick 4
How To Have Sex
Barbie
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

SPECIAL MENTION:

- The Blue Caftan (came out in 2022 but was only released in 2023. Absolutely loved it!)
- Air
- Theater Camp
- Dream Scenario
- Maestro


ALBUMS

The National - Laugh Track
The National - Tropic Morning News
Olivia Rodrigo - Guts
Gaz Coombes - Turn The Car Around
Blondshell - Blondshell
Beach Fossils - Bunny
Brandon Sanders - Compton's Finest
Blur - The Ballad of Darren
Maro - Hortela
Sufjan Stevens - Javelin

TRACKS 

Flyte feat. Laura Marling - Tough Love
The National feat. Rosanne Cash - Crumble
Beach Fossils - Don't Fade Away
The Drums - Plastic Envelope
Braxton Cook - Meters
Olivia Rodrigo - Pretty Isn't Pretty
Jon Batiste - Butterfly
Maro - Tens Morada em Mim
Blondshell - Dangerous

Blur - The Narcissist


SPECIAL MENTION:

- Ryan Gosling & Mark Ronson - I'm Just Ken
- Brandon Sanders - Voyage
- The National - Tropic Morning News
- Gaz Coombes - Long Live The Strange
- Beach Fossils - Anything is Anything

The National: Live from London's Alexandra Palace - September 26, 2023

Yesterday I saw The National live for a third or fourth time, this time at London's iconic Alexandra Palace, aka Ally Pally.

It had been six years since I last saw them, so plenty had happened in between, particularly this year when they released their latest two records, First Two Pages of Frankenstein and Laugh Track, just a few months apart of each other.

The night promised to be an epic one as we also celebrated a good friend's birthday while embarking on a journey filled with melancholy, weirdly mixed with a camouflaged beat that gives The National this unique ability to be the only band that I know of capable of having people dance to the sound of misery.

And if that statement is something I've been saying for years now, in this gig, I took it a notch further, by claiming that it's the first time I've ever danced with tears coming down my face. 

It's a weird thing to share... 

 

Hell, it's a weird thing to experience all together.

There wasn't a triggering moment that I thought of, just the sheer beauty and rawness of the music, combined with Matt Berninger's delivery, who, at 52, is still able to inflict a mixture of pain, nostalgia and hope in his performance.

Plenty of new tracks were played throughout the evening, with Once Upon a Poolside (without the help of Sufjan Stevens) kicked off the gig and soon after Tropic Morning News, New Order T-shirt, Dreaming and near the end Space Invaders.

 

Older stuff was intertwined, like Abel, Guilty Party, Mistaken for Strangers (which gave way to the name of their 2013 documentary), Day I Die, (the colossal) Mr November and - of course - Fake Empire.

The highlight for me, however, came from the High Violet record, released in 2010 and - in my opinion - their finest work to date.

Bloodbuzz Ohio gave me the first goosebumps of the night (that line "I never thought about love, when I thought about home", gets me every single time)...

England got everyone in their feels...

Vanderlyle Crybaby Geek - a track that for the life of me I couldn't remember (!!!) - got the whole venue to close out the evening by singing beautifully like a church choir, as the band stood on stage delighted at the wonderful sight. 

An unforgettable moment that made me forgive the band for not playing several of my other favorite songs:

About Today (made popular with the 2011 movie Warrior), Terrible Love, I Need My Girl, Secret Meeting, Start a War, Runaway, Afraid of Everyone, Think You Can Wait (from the 2011 movie Win Win) and my personal favorite Sorrow (which the band famously played at a gig a 108 times, totaling six straight hours).

 

 

 
As you can see, enough tunes to compile a whole new record.

Fortunately for me, I've had my time with those songs in the past and I'm sure other opportunities will follow in years to come. 

(Here's my IG post with videos of last night)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Duarte Mendonça (@duartemendoncacnn)

 

Bruce Sprinsgteen and The E Street Band - Live from London's Hyde Park 2023

 

Yesterday (July 6th, 2023) was another tick off my bucket list:

I got to see Bruce Springsteen perform live!

A packed Hyde Park welcomed the seasoned musician with open arms, who together with his magnificent E Street Band, set all our hearts on fire.

As a child going into my teens I would listen to his music frequently…

From Born in the USA and Dancing in the Dark, to Born to Run and the Oscar winning track (and my personal favorite) Streets of Philadelphia.

Not quite sure how I got to him… perhaps through my brothers, but I remember vividly the main track to Jonathan Demme’s movie Philadelphia (starring Tom Hanks in his first Academy Award winning performance) having a profound impact in me, years before I even saw the movie. Until this day it remains easily as one of my top five favorite songs and one that moves me into tears instantly.

 

I was so into him that when DVDs were becoming a thing, I purchased Bruce Springsteen Live in Barcelona which I would watch on the TV, hoping that one day maybe I could see him live.

Fast forward many years later, I’m in London working as an intern, which also means I was absolutely broke… but as I have good friends, on one occasion I was lucky enough to get offered tickets to see Kaiser Chiefs, a band I was barely familiar with, live at Hyde Park, unknown to be me as being one of London’s most iconic spots.

Upon arrival I noticed they were advertising Bruce Springsteen for a live concert the following day.

Having a free ticket to see Kaiser Chiefs immediately lost its appeal (nothing personal guys), and I instantly wished I had been given tickets to see Bruce instead.

Since I couldn’t afford the ticket to see him the following day, I promised myself right there and then that if I ever had some money in my pocket, I would use it to pay whatever the asking price to see him perform live.

Fast forward more than 10 years later and there I was back at Hyde Park, ready to see “The Boss” on stage with his beloved E Street Band.
 
The gig was everything I hoped for… well, nearly everything.
 
As expected, he didn’t play Streets of Philadelphia, which very rarely makes it to his setlists, as well as Tunnel of Love, Brilliant Disguise, Human Touch and Secret Garden, the latter being a tune that saw its popularity increase after the release of Jerry Maguire, a Cameron Crowe movie featuring Tom Cruise.

We were also a bit far away… which made me wonder if paying extra to get closer access to the stage was worth it. In fact, looking through the big screens, it was hard not to be slightly jealous of those up front as they shook hands and took selfies with Bruce. A girl even got to take his harmonica home, which was pretty cool.

His interactions with the audience, be it up close and personal or from a distance, showed him to be charismatic, respectful, and kind. A true man of the people, who made a career often speaking to the working class and using his platform to talk about anything from world politics to growing up in New Jersey.

As his energy levels kept rising, so did the whole ensemble in a sort of continuous crescendo.

They barely took their foot off the gas, which was quite impressive for a bunch of people well into their 60’s and 70’s.

I for one couldn’t take my eyes off Steven Van Zandt and Max Weinberg, as two of my favorite band members.

Aside from being a guitarist for the E Street Band, Steven is also an accomplished actor, notorious for playing one of the main roles in the classic HBO series The Sopranos.

With regards to Max Weinberg, I got to “meet him” for the first time when I watched Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

Weinberg was then the leader of the “Max Weinberg 7” and was a frequent collaborator in Conan and Andy Richter’s sketches in the show.

I even remember as a kid seeing Conan explain to his audience Max’s occasional absence from the program due to being on tour with Bruce Springsteen. That blew my mind!

Anyway, back to the gig…

Hard to pick a favorite moment… perhaps Dancing in the Dark was my tune of the night.

The Rising was also a highlight as it took me back to the early 2000’s when I last consumed a new Springsteen’s album vigorously. 

Feeling nostalgic, I added to my mental notes that I should revisit this record again and look into hearing more of Bruce’s contemporary material.

Hometown triggered my friends to mock my trademark claim “My hometown is better than yours”.

Bruce at some point sang “Duarte’s homeeeeeetownnnnn” … well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

But I guess that for most people, Born in the USA is the one track that really stirs the crowd up.

I've always found that particular track fascinating due to being able to provoke a visceral reaction from everyone, even those who have a tremendous dislike for the US but won’t resist singing the chorus with a colossal amount of passion.

Interestingly enough, the song is often misunderstood as an American anthem paying tribute to the nation, when in fact it's almost a protest song of sorts against the war in Vietnam and the consequences that followed.

Well, this is my sharable moment of the day. One for the ages that I hope to revisit through Facebook memories, a quick scroll through my camera roll or something of that nature.